Men Alleging Sex Abuse Reveal Names
The two former altar boys accuse Monsignor Francis Zuch, who died in 1993,
of repeatedly molesting them from 1970 to 1975

By Dan Eggen
Des Moines Register
February 16, 1996

The names of two former altar boys have been revealed in a lawsuit accusing
a late Des Moines Catholic priest of decades of sexual abuse.

The two married couples who filed the December lawsuit are named in new
court documents as Joseph and Jody Duff and Timothy and Patricia Lynch,
all of Polk County.

Originally filed under aliases, the plaintiffs' names were revealed in
response to requests by attorneys for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Des
Moines and The Des Moines Register, who argued that those bringing a civil
complaint should be identified.

The lawsuit accuses Monsignor Francis Zuch of repeatedly molesting the
boys from 1970 to 1975, when the two were altar boys at the Basilica of
St. John's Parish in Des Moines. Zuch died in
1993.

In addition, the petition alleges that "starting in the 1940s, Msgr.
Francis Zuch engaged in a course of ongoing conduct of systematically
sexually abusing numerous altar boys." Court documents suggest that
others may join the lawsuit.

Through their attorney, the Duffs and the Lynches said Thursday that
they had no comment.

The couples decided to make their names public in part because of criticism
of their anonymity, said attorney Peter Berger. They initially sought
to have the case sealed.

"They do not have anything to hide," Berger said. "The
inference by The Register and others to the contrary helped their decision
to go public."

Joseph Duff and Timothy Lynch allege that St. John's and the diocese
were negligent in allowing the alleged abuse to occur. Both are seeking
unspecified damages for emotional distress, treatment and medical expenses,
and their wives want damages for loss of companionship.

Zuch, who died two years ago at the age of 94, was pastor of St. John's
from 1964 until he retired in 1972, church officials said. He previously
served as director of Catholic Charities and pastor of St. John's Parish
in Cumming. He was ordained in 1932.

After the lawsuit was filed, Zuch's sister and two other former altar
boys came to his defense, calling the allegations outrageous.

L.R. Voigts, a Des Moines attorney representing the church, said the
diocese would proceed in its defense against the lawsuit.

"We don't have any direct information that anything went wrong,
nor does the diocese," Voigts said.

The Des Moines Register does not print the names of alleged victims in
criminal sexual abuse cases without their consent. In civil cases where
plaintiffs seek monetary damages, however, the newspaper's policy is to
identify the accusers.